Making the business case for walkable community development

Development patterns and land use decisions are widely believed to be responsible for the lack of pedestrian-oriented communities, thus, contributing to the increase in sedentary behaviors associated with obesity and several other chronic health conditions. Recent evidence suggests that consumers are interested in getting out of their cars and living in more walkable communities. Currently, traditional neighborhood designs and new urbanist communities are less likely to develop, in part, due to missing return on investment models. The purpose of this project is to begin creating the business case for developers and real estate professionals concerning the financial and community benefit of walkable communities. The project will work with a panel of experts to develop this case and produce a professional document for the real estate financing community.